Papabile
Encyclopedia
Papabile is an unofficial Italian
term first coined by Vaticanologist
s and now used internationally in many languages to describe a cardinal
of whom it is thought likely or possible that he will be elected
pope. A literal English translation would be "popeable" or "one who might become pope".
In some cases the Cardinals will choose a papabile candidate. Among the papabili cardinals who were elected pope
are Eugenio Pacelli
(Pius XII), Giovanni Battista Montini
(Paul VI), and Joseph Ratzinger
(Benedict XVI). However, at times the College of Cardinals will elect a man who was not considered papabile by most Vatican watchers. In recent years those who were elected pope even though they were not considered papabili include John XXIII
, John Paul I, and John Paul II. There is a wry saying among Vaticanologists: "He who enters the conclave
as Pope, leaves it as a cardinal."
As the cardinals age, the "list" of papabili changes as well. For instance Carlo Maria Martini
was thought to be papabile a few years ago, but now he has given up his see (Milan
) upon reaching 75 years of age. The list of papabili in the 2005 papal conclave shows who was considered papabile at the death of John Paul II. As Pope Benedict XVI
was one of the oldest men on the list, most men on the list remain among his potential successors, but depending on the length of Benedict's pontificate the "papability" of those on it will tend to wane as time goes on, and men formerly seen as papabile will be replaced with younger Cardinals named by Benedict. Because Benedict was the oldest man elected to the Papacy since Pope
Clement XII (1730–40), speculation began almost as soon as he was elected Pope on who would succeed him.
In Italian, among other languages, the word papabile is also used on different occasions, such as the election of a President or for less important roles. For example: "Mario Draghi
was in the list of the papabili to become governor of the Bank of Italy
."
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
term first coined by Vaticanologist
Vaticanologist
Vaticanologist or Vaticanist is a term coined in the mid-to-late twentieth century to describe journalists, academics and commentators whose area of expertise is in studying and understanding the manner by which the Holy See and the Roman Catholic Church operates...
s and now used internationally in many languages to describe a cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of whom it is thought likely or possible that he will be elected
Papal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
pope. A literal English translation would be "popeable" or "one who might become pope".
In some cases the Cardinals will choose a papabile candidate. Among the papabili cardinals who were elected pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
are Eugenio Pacelli
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
(Pius XII), Giovanni Battista Montini
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
(Paul VI), and Joseph Ratzinger
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
(Benedict XVI). However, at times the College of Cardinals will elect a man who was not considered papabile by most Vatican watchers. In recent years those who were elected pope even though they were not considered papabili include John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
, John Paul I, and John Paul II. There is a wry saying among Vaticanologists: "He who enters the conclave
Papal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
as Pope, leaves it as a cardinal."
As the cardinals age, the "list" of papabili changes as well. For instance Carlo Maria Martini
Carlo Maria Martini
Carlo Maria Martini, SJ is an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Milan from 1980 to 2002, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1983.-Early life and education:...
was thought to be papabile a few years ago, but now he has given up his see (Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
) upon reaching 75 years of age. The list of papabili in the 2005 papal conclave shows who was considered papabile at the death of John Paul II. As Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
was one of the oldest men on the list, most men on the list remain among his potential successors, but depending on the length of Benedict's pontificate the "papability" of those on it will tend to wane as time goes on, and men formerly seen as papabile will be replaced with younger Cardinals named by Benedict. Because Benedict was the oldest man elected to the Papacy since Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
Clement XII (1730–40), speculation began almost as soon as he was elected Pope on who would succeed him.
In Italian, among other languages, the word papabile is also used on different occasions, such as the election of a President or for less important roles. For example: "Mario Draghi
Mario Draghi
Mario Draghi is an Italian banker and economist who succeeded Jean-Claude Trichet as President of the European Central Bank on 1 November 2011...
was in the list of the papabili to become governor of the Bank of Italy
Banca d'Italia
Banca d'Italia is the central bank of Italy and part of the European System of Central Banks. It is located in Palazzo Koch, Roma, via Nazionale...
."
Papabili elected pope
- Francesco Saverio CastiglioniPope Pius VIIIPope Pius VIII , born Francesco Saverio Castiglioni was Pope in 1829 and 1830.-Biography:He was born in Cingoli, Marche, the son of Count Ottavio Castiglioni and his wife Sanzia Ghislieri. He studied Canon law and, in 1800 became bishop of Montalto...
(elected as Pius VIII in 1829) - Gioachino PecciPope Leo XIIIPope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
(elected as Leo XIII in 1878) - Giacomo della ChiesaPope Benedict XVPope Benedict XV , born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, reigned as Pope from 3 September 1914 to 22 January 1922...
(elected as Benedict XV in 1914) - Eugenio PacelliPope Pius XIIThe Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
(elected as Pius XII in 1939) - Giovanni Battista MontiniPope Paul VIPaul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
(elected as Paul VI in 1963) - Joseph RatzingerPope Benedict XVIBenedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
(elected as Benedict XVI in 2005)
Papabili not elected
Being seen as papabile, however, is no guarantee of election, and is sometimes seen as a handicap:- Giuseppe Siri was widely expected to be elected pope in the 1958Papal conclave, 1958The Papal conclave of 1958 occurred following the death of Pope Pius XII on 9 October 1958 in Castel Gandolfo, after a 19-year pontificate. The conclave to elect his successor commenced on 25 October and ended three days later, on 28 October, after eleven ballots. The cardinal electors chose Angelo...
and 1963Papal conclave, 1963The Papal conclave of 1963 was convoked following the death of Pope John XXIII on June 3 of that same year in the Apostolic Palace. After the cardinal electors assembled in Rome, the conclave to elect John's successor began on June 19 and ended two days later, on June 21, after six ballots. The...
conclaves and continued to be a prime contender in both 1978 conclaves. In the first of these occasions, Angelo RoncalliPope John XXIII-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
, an utterly unexpected choice, was elected and became Pope John XXIII. - Giovanni Benelli was widely expected to be elected pope in both the AugustPapal conclave, 1978 (August)The Papal conclave of August 1978, the first of the two conclaves held in the year 1978, was convoked after the death of Pope Paul VI on August 6 at Castel Gandolfo. After the cardinal electors assembled in Rome, they elected Cardinal Albino Luciani, then Patriarch of Venice, as the new pope...
and October 1978Papal conclave, 1978 (October)The Papal conclave of October 1978 was triggered by the sudden death, after only thirty-three days in office, of Pope John Paul I on September 28. When the cardinals elected John Paul I on August 26, they expected he would reign for at least a decade. Instead they found themselves having to elect...
conclaves. In fact he was defeated in both (narrowly the second time). In August, a candidate few saw as papabile, Albino LucianiPope John Paul IJohn Paul I , born Albino Luciani, , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and as Sovereign of Vatican City from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, resulting in the most recent Year of Three Popes...
, was elected and became Pope John Paul I. In October, another such candidate, Karol WojtyłaPope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, was elected as John Paul II. - Bartolomeo Pacca - experienced diplomat under Pius VII, he was a candidate in 1823 and favoured to win in 1829 but was vetoed by France. Cardinal Castiglioni was elected as Pope Pius VIIIPope Pius VIIIPope Pius VIII , born Francesco Saverio Castiglioni was Pope in 1829 and 1830.-Biography:He was born in Cingoli, Marche, the son of Count Ottavio Castiglioni and his wife Sanzia Ghislieri. He studied Canon law and, in 1800 became bishop of Montalto...
. - Emmanuele de GregorioEmmanuele de GregorioEmmanuele de Gregorio was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.De Gregorio was born on at sea while his mother was travelling to Spain. Although he had one other cardinal among his relatives, no other information about his early life survives...
- expected to succeed Leo XII and Pius VIII, but never did. - Mariano Rampolla - Pope Leo XIIIPope Leo XIIIPope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
's Secretary of State. He was headed for victory in the 1903 conclave only to be vetoed by Kraków Cardinal Jan Puzyna de Kosielsko on behalf of Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I. With Rampolla blocked, Giuseppe Sarto was elected and became Pope Pius XPope Pius XPope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
. One of Pius X's first acts was to abolish the rights of states to veto. - Francis Arinze - Speculated by some media reports as a highly favoured successor to John Paul II but did not gain a substantial amount of votes in the 2005 papal conclavePapal conclave, 2005The Papal conclave of 2005 was convened as a result of the death of Pope John Paul II on 2 April 2005. After his death, the cardinals who were in Rome met and set a date for the beginning of the conclave to elect John Paul's successor. The conclave began on 18 April 2005 and ended on the following...
.
Non-papabili elected pope
- Annibale della GengaPope Leo XIIPope Leo XII , born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiore Girolamo Nicola Sermattei della Genga, was Pope from 1823 to 1829.-Life:...
(elected as Leo XII in 1823) - Bartolomeo Alberto Mauro CappellariPope Gregory XVIPope Gregory XVI , born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari, named Mauro as a member of the religious order of the Camaldolese, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1831 to 1846...
(elected as Gregory XVI in 1831) - Giuseppe SartoPope Pius XPope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
(elected as Pius X in 1903) - Achille RattiPope Pius XIPope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
(elected as Pius XI in 1922) - Angelo Giuseppe RoncalliPope John XXIII-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
(elected as John XXIII in 1958) - Albino LucianiPope John Paul IJohn Paul I , born Albino Luciani, , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and as Sovereign of Vatican City from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, resulting in the most recent Year of Three Popes...
(elected as John Paul I in 1978) - Karol WojtyłaPope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
(elected as John Paul II in 1978)
- Pope John Paul I actually predicted Cardinal Wojtyła — the future John Paul II — would succeed him, and Cardinal Jean-Marie Villot predicted in May 1978 that only Wojtyła could gain the support of two-thirds of the cardinal electors, but was not widely considered papabile as he was not Italian and hailed from an Eastern blocEastern blocThe term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
country.
See also
- CatholicismCatholicismCatholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
- Holy SeeHoly SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
- Papal CoronationPapal CoronationA papal coronation was the ceremony of the placing of the Papal Tiara on a newly elected pope. The first recorded papal coronation was that of Pope Celestine II in 1143. Soon after his coronation in 1963, Pope Paul VI abandoned the practice of wearing the tiara. His successors have chosen not to...
- Papal TiaraPapal TiaraThe Papal Tiara, also known incorrectly as the Triple Tiara, or in Latin as the Triregnum, in Italian as the Triregno and as the Trirègne in French, is the three-tiered jewelled papal crown, supposedly of Byzantine and Persian origin, that is a prominent symbol of the papacy...
- Papal conclavePapal conclaveA papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
(2005Papal conclave, 2005The Papal conclave of 2005 was convened as a result of the death of Pope John Paul II on 2 April 2005. After his death, the cardinals who were in Rome met and set a date for the beginning of the conclave to elect John Paul's successor. The conclave began on 18 April 2005 and ended on the following...
) - Short listShort listA short list or shortlist is a list of candidates for a job, prize, award, political position, etc., that has been reduced from a longer list of candidates . The length of short lists varies according to the context.-U.S...
, an analogous secular concept